The Three Keys for a Good Final Paper (or any paper, that is)

It's the time of year where the final paper we've been dreading all semester is finally due. But no fears, because with a little change in your writing routine, you can be turning in all kinds of gold-star papers. There's no A gauranteed here, but you'll definitely get one for effort if you try out these three writing hints---

1) Make an outline. I know you don't want to do it. I know you think you write better off the top of your head. Trust me, I thought the same thing. The problem though is that not everyone thinks in the same way that you do, so an outline keeps your thoughts organized for your audience. It will also help you highlight the main points of your paper, remind you where you left off, and create natural transitions between parts of the paper.

2) Show the reader; don't just tell them. Are you writing about how IU Men's Basketball is the greatest sports program in the history of collegiate athletics? Or about the climate in the Arctic? Show the reader that IUBB rocks and that the Arctic is icy through description and details, not just a matter-of-fact statement.

Example--

Before: "Telling"

IU Men's Basketball is the best program the college world has ever seen.

The Arctic is very cold and desolate.

After: "Showing"

IU Men's Basketball has shown resilience over the span of its existence, winning titles at first, then losing seasons of games, and eventually climbing back to the top to be the #1 ranked team in 2012.

The Arctic experiences long winters and short summers, and much of its surface is covered in ice year round.

3) Proofread more than once. Read through your paper once right after you finish writing it and then once again right before you are going to print it out for good (at least this many times!). This gives you time to think on the paper and provides a fresh look at a later time. Making structural or grammatical mistakes can cost some serious points. They're easy fixes, so don't let those points be the ones that trip you up.